Cabinet Secretary Teddy states TNI troops will not be withdrawn from UNIFIL

Jakarta (ANTARA) - Cabinet Secretary Teddy Indra Wijaya stated that to date, there has been no decision to withdraw TNI troops from the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL). “Oh, there is no such thing (withdrawing TNI troops from UNIFIL),” said Teddy at the Presidential Palace Complex in Jakarta on Friday. Teddy conveyed that the government will continue assigning TNI soldiers to the peacekeeping mission while conducting periodic evaluations both internally and externally. He explained that the government’s position on deploying troops abroad has been affirmed by TNI Chief General Agus Subiyanto and Foreign Minister Sugiono, who emphasised commitment to the role of Indonesian soldiers both domestically and internationally. According to him, the deployment of TNI troops to UNIFIL is part of the constitutional mandate as stipulated in the Preamble of the 1945 Constitution, particularly in efforts to maintain world order. “So, I think it has been stated very firmly that in accordance with the fourth paragraph of the Preamble, to maintain world order. So, we are sending troops there to maintain peace and we are firm on the existing evaluations,” said the Cabinet Secretary. Previously, State Secretary Prasetyo Hadi stated that the government has not yet made a decision regarding the withdrawal of TNI personnel from UNIFIL. “If the question is up to the decision to withdraw, it hasn’t. But with the incident that happened yesterday, of course, we as the government must coordinate,” said Prasetyo. He explained that the government, through the Foreign Ministry, is still continuing coordination and evaluation following the incident that befell TNI soldiers in the area. According to him, the possibility of withdrawing troops still depends on the results of the ongoing evaluation, including developments in the field situation. Meanwhile, the Indonesian Foreign Ministry (Kemlu) stated that any changes regarding the participation of TNI personnel in UNIFIL must be made with very careful consideration, so they cannot be withdrawn just like that. Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Yvonne Mewengkang said that Indonesia’s participation in UNIFIL is part of Indonesia’s solid international commitment to global security and peace. To date, three TNI personnel have been killed and eight others injured in three separate attacks while carrying out duties with UNIFIL in Lebanon.